You're Never Alone
by crazy10
Summary: The search for a missing five year old prompts irrational behavior.....JS! WOOT!
1. Chapter 1

You're Never Alone

Disclaimer: Nope I don't own anything in this story. Except for the idea... :)

Timeline: Umm...whenever I guess. Wait! It's gotta be before that "Anne" came along! Grr! She ruined everything! cries

A/N: Well, this is my first fanfic. I hope I do all you J/S shippers and fellow authors proud! I'm doing this in hopes of becoming a beta for some of you people that are reading this. winks So, this is created and betaed by me. :) Enjoy reading! Reviews are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

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The office was still. Papers were spread out across the table in the bullpen. Chairs were pushed in. Computers were turned off. The face of the missing girl, Alexis, was hanging silently from the white board. In front of the board, stood Sam, staring. Her eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep these past days. Her body was still. Her face showed no emotion. This case had affected the team, probably more than any other case. Each of them wanted desperately to find this little girl and return her to her family, but time was quickly running out.

_Earlier that day…_

_Martin and Danny had just come back to the office. They had been following up a lead that had lead to a dead end._

"_Hey Viv." Danny said as he entered the bullpen with Martin, who just smiled, at his side._

_"Don't go to far." Viv said in response._

_"Why what's up?" Martin asked as he rolled his chair out and sat._

_"Apparently, Jack wanted to talk to us as soon as you two came back."_

_"Alright. Um...I'm gonna go get him. Maybe we can speed this up a bit."_

_Danny stood up and walked over to Jack's office. Through the windows he could see that Sam was sitting across from Jack's desk. It looked as if they were having an intense conversation, but then he saw them both break out in laughter. He hadn't seen Jack or Sam laugh like that in a while. He walked up to the door and knocked. Jack signaled with his hand for Danny to walk in._

_"Um...I'm gonna go...back to my desk." Sam stood up and Danny noticed Jack follow her with his eyes._

_"How'd it go over there?" Jack asked._

_"It was a dead end." Danny replied. Jack's ounce of hope that had been etched on his face was gone. "Viv told me that you wanted to talk to us?"_

_"Yeah. Everyone's over there, right?"_

_"Yup."_

_Jack and Danny stood up and walked over to the conference table in the bullpen and sat down. The other three members of the team also took their respective places. Jack sat at the head of the table with Danny on his left and Viv on his right. Sam sat directly opposite of Jack with Martin on her right and Danny on her left._

_"So, what happened?" Jack inquired, directing his question to Danny and Martin._

_"The address that we got tipped about, our suspect's 'address', turned out to be a local Wal-Mart. It was a dead end." Martin quickly replied._

_Jack sighed. "Um...phone records?" Jack directed his question towards Sam._

_"I really didn't get too much from 'em. There were hardly any calls made at all. I mean, I don't know if they use pay phones or what, but there's...nothing." Sam replied looking at Jack._

_"Do they have cell phones?"_

_"No."_

_"Alright. Um...we might not get to much from them anyways. Maybe these people really didn't make calls. Viv?"_

_"Well, I was looking at the surveillance tapes and I was able to see Alexis with a man at a gas station. I called the gas station and the cashier remembered seeing them because Alexis left with a 'boat-load' of candy, if I may quote the cashier. So, I kept looking at the tapes to see if I was able to find anything else and nothing showed up."_

_"Well, at least we have a clue of where they might be."_

_"Jack?" Viv asked._

_"Yeah." Jack replied as he stole a glance of Sam._

_"It's close to midnight, I need to go home to my family, as much as I would like to stay, we really have no lead, and you can use some sleep."_

_"Alright."_

_"Goodnight everybody." Viv gathered her things and walked off._

_"I stayed here all night watching the phones, I think I'm gonna go home tonight and get some sleep." Danny said._

_"Okay. 'Night." Jack replied. Just like Viv, Danny gathered his things and left._

_"You know, I think I'm gonna go too. After all, it is Sam's turn to watch the phones." Martin sluggishly and teasingly said._

_"You just don't let me forget it, do you?" Sam questioned with a smile._

_"Nope." Martin smiled. "Goodnight guys." Martin rolled his chair in, put on his jacket, and walked towards the elevator._

_"Well..." Jack stood up and broke the silence._

_"You going home?" Sam asked, secretly wishing he wasn't._

_"No, I think I'm gonna go do some paperwork."_

_"Alright then."_

_Jack turned around and walked back to his office. As he walked, Sam never took her eyes off of him. When he disappeared into his office, she turned around and walked over to the table where several telephones stood. Her eyelids began to get heavy and her stomach began its noise making. _

_It was almost one o'clock in the morning and she remembered that the last time she ate was seven hours ago. She stood up, saw that Jack's desk lamp was still on, and walked over to his office with a smile plastered to her face._

TBC... :)


	2. Chapter 2

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer**: I don't anything in this story...I wish I did though.

**Timeline**: Continued from chapter 1. lol. Just read what I put over in chapter 1. :)

**A/N**: First off, THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS EVERYBODY! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! Keep on giving me reviews. As I said before, this is my first fanfic. I'm looking to become a beta, so if anybody needs one...GIVE ME A BUZZ:) I'm hoping that with this chapter I'm still doing the J/S ship proud...

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_ Jack turned around and walked back to his office. As he walked, Sam never took her eyes off of him. When he disappeared into his office, she turned around and walked over to the table where several telephones stood. Her eyelids began to get heavy and her stomach began its noise making._

_ It was almost one o'clock in the morning and she remembered that the last time she ate was seven hours ago. She stood up, saw that Jack's desk lamp was still on, and walked over to his office with a smile plastered to her face._

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_ She opened the closed office door and walked in. Jack looked up and smiled. "Hey," He said_

_ "Hey," She answered back. She walked behind his desk and perched herself up on the corner. He took off his glasses and turned his chair to look at her._

_ "How is it?"_

_ "The phones just won't stop ringing," She said sarcastically and they both shared a quick laugh._

_ "I bet they won't,"_

_ "Umm...I'm gonna order something to eat. I'm sure there's a twenty-four hour Chinese place somewhere in New York."_

_ "Yeah, there is,"_

_ "You want anything?"_

_ "Yeah, give me what I always get,"_

_ "All right. Umm...do you know the number?"_

_ "It's here somewhere," Jack opened his desk drawer and searched for the number. "Here," He handed the piece of paper to Sam and their hands brushed against each other._

_ Sam picked up the phone on Jack's desk and dialed the number. As he sat watching her a feeling of happiness came over him. After all, it was only them two on the entire floor, and probably the entire building._

_ "It'll probably be about ten minutes or so," Sam said as she place the phone back down._

_ "Okay," Jack rubbed his tired, red eyes and exhaled loudly._

_ "Are you All right?" _

_ "Yeah I'm just a bit tired that's all,"_

_ "Why don't you go home and get some rest? I'll be fine here,"_

_ "No, it's okay. There's really not much to go home to at this time anyways."_

_ "Did you at least call home?"_

_ "Yeah I did,"_

_ "What did Maria say?"_

_ "The usual, that she was mad, et cetera. Nothing special."_

_ "Sounds nice,"_

_ "Right..." They laughed._

_ "I'll be right back," Sam stood up and walked out of the office leaving her scent behind._

_ Jack stood up and went over to the sofa and sat down heavily. He leaned his head on the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. His left arm was draped over the back of the sofa, while his right arm rested on the arm rest. He lifted his right arm, loosened his tie and unbuttoned the first couple of buttons, and put his arm back on the arm rest. The world began to get farther and farther._

_ Sam opened the door and placed the food on Jack's desk. She heard that familiar breathing and walked over to the sofa and sat down next to Jack. She sat down so quiet that he hadn't known she was there. She placed her hand on his thigh and turned to face him. "Jack..." She said soothingly, trying to wake him up. Nothing. "Jack..." She tried again. Still nothing. She placed her hand on his cheek and rubbed his face with her thumb. With this, he stirred._

_ "Hmm..." Jack said as he lifted his head and looked at Sam._

_ "You were out like a light," She took the hand that was on his face and placed it at her side, but kept the other on his thigh._

_ "Really?" Jack placed his draped left arm on Sam's shoulders._

_ "Yeah. It was kind of funny." She moved in closer to his body._

_ "I'm sure it was." He smiled. _

_ "Oh, uhh...I got the food. It's on your desk." She pointed over to it and he looked._

_ "Okay," Sam stood up and offered her hand to help Jack up. He took it, placed that same hand on her lower backside, and walked over to his desk. "You wanna eat here or over there?" She pointed to the bullpen._

_ "Let's go over there." They gathered the food and utensils and headed towards the bullpen. _

_ "Can you get me something to drink from the break room?"_

_ "Sure," He left and returned with two coffees. "Here ya go." He placed both drinks on the table and sat down next to Sam. _

_ Their proximity looked anything but professional. Their shoulders were touching and so were there legs, underneath the table. When they finished Jack offered to throw their mess away. He stood and grabbed the garbage and went into the break room to dispose of the mess._

The phones had been silent the entire night, so far. Her hope for finding this girl was running thin. She heard footsteps but didn't bother turning around. She recognized them, they were Jack's. He walked up behind her and stopped.

"You're worried we're not going to find her." Jack stated firmly. His voice booming throughout the empty floor.

TBC...


	3. Chapter 3

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer:** No, I don't own anything. Nothing at all.

**Timeline:** Continued from Chapter Uno(1)!

**A/N:** Thanks again everybody for the reviews! Thanks **Diane** for looking over and correcting my errors. On with the story...

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The phones had been silent the entire night, so far. Her hope for finding this girl was running thin. She heard footsteps but didn't bother turning around. She recognized them…they were Jack's. He walked up behind her and stopped.

"You're worried we're not going to find her," Jack stated firmly, his voice booming throughout the empty floor.

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She turned around and looked him in the eyes. "Jack...our forty- eight-hour window is almost up and we're no closer to finding her! She's five years old! Five years old!" Tears began to accumulate in her eyes until there was no choice but to flow down. "She should be at home with her family, sleeping, being a little girl. But she's probably out there fighting for her life." She exhaled loudly. "I don't know..." Her tears began to flow freely now. "I just don't know..."

Jack moved closer to Sam and wrapped his arms around her and she began to cry on his shoulder. "We're going to find her. Don't worry."

She lifted her head up and looked at him. "Jack..."

"We're going to find her." He lifted his hand and cupped her cheek, while wiping her tears at the same time. "We will." They stood hugging until Jack felt that Sam was all right. "I'm going to go back to my office. If you need anything, you know where to find me." She nodded.

He rubbed her back one last time and went to his office. His office was dark and solitary, the same thing he felt inside of him, even with the happiness that Sam gave him. His life had been going downhill for as long as he could remember. His mother had killed herself. His father had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. His marriage had been jeopardized because of his affair. He was no longer living with his family. Maria wasn't letting him see his girls. His relationship with Sam had "ended." Lately, the cases were taking a huge toll on him. Sleep wasn't coming easy to him and the results of each case were deadly. Case after case, the missing were discovered dead. They had either been dead for a while or been discovered too late. The latter dominated most of the team's findings and it affected Jack more than anyone.

Jack desperately wanted the emptiness inside of him to disappear, but it didn't. It simply mounted. Day after day his routine was the same. He'd get up, go to work and lose some of his hope, go to his apartment, and barely sleep a wink. He couldn't do it anymore. It was getting close to the end of the line for Special Supervisory Agent Jack Malone.

He sat down in his chair, with his back facing his desk, and rested his elbows on his knees. He began to think what a mess his life had become and tears began welling in his eyes. His wife. His kids. His life. His mess. Tears began to fall and he rested his head atop his hands. Chaos was what his life had become. He was glad that no one was in his office because he didn't want anyone seeing him like this, not even Sam.

Tears were falling freely when he heard his door open. He knew it was Sam, the only other person here.

"Jack?" Sam asked, finding his position odd.

"Yeah," Jack said as he cleared his throat and refused to turn around.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah I'm fine," He took both hands and started wiping his tears away as fast and unnoticeable as he could.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," Jack said as he turned around. His eyes were red from the tears that had been falling. His nose had become runny, so he sniffled several times.

"Jack wh—" Sam was interrupted by the sound of a phone ringing. They looked at each other and Sam left to answer the phone.

Left alone again in his office, Jack rummaged his desk for some _Visine_ to take some of the redness out of his eyes. He found it in the back corner of one of his drawers and quickly put some drops in his eyes. He blinked a couple of times and looked over to the table of phones to see Sam scribbling on a piece of paper. He grabbed a tissue from a nearby box and blew his nose to take the sniffling away. He did just about everything he could think of to avoid answering the question that was about to slip off of Sam's tongue just minutes earlier. He looked up again to see Sam hurriedly coming back to his office.

"What's up?" Jack asked interested, and at the same time trying to change the previous subject.

"You wouldn't believe it. The cashier at the gas station just called and he said that he saw Alexis with our same suspect," Sam replied.

"And when did he last see her?"

"Five minutes ago."

"About how far is the gas station from here?"

"Twenty, thirty minutes."

"We better hurry then."

Jack hurried out of the office. Sam ran to her desk and grabbed her jacket and gun and followed Jack to the car.

TBC...


	4. Chapter 4

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything.

**Timeline:** Continued from Chapter one. :)

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry that's it has taken so long for me to update, but my real life and school have just been so HECTIC! I'll try and update with the next chapter as soon as possible now that I'm on Christmas vacation. YAY! On with the story...

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They walked out of the office in a hurry. Sam ran to her desk and grabbed her jacket and gun and followed Jack to the car.

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During the car ride Jack avoided looking at Sam. Sam had been staring out the window the entire time. The ground was wet. It had just finished raining several hours ago, so cars and streets were still damp. Traffic was not a factor—although there were some cars out—it was almost three o'clock in the morning. Sam wondered why Jack's eyes had been red and his nose runny earlier, but she couldn't think of any reason at the moment.

When they arrived at the gas station they quickly got out of the car and went inside to talk to the cashier. He was a thin, light colored man. He wore glasses that were a bit too small for his face and his clothes were...vintage. He spoke with and New York and Midwestern accent mixed together. Jack stood in front of the cashier and flashed his badge.

"I'm Special Agent Jack Malone and this is Agent Spade, we're responding from a tip that came from this gas station."

"Yes," The thin man replied. "I saw the man with the little girl. He came in here for the second time, but this time he seemed angry for some reason." Jack wrote this down.

"Were you able to overhear anything he said, if he said anything at all?"

"No he didn't say anything, at least, not that I can remember."

"What kind of car did he have?"

"A van."

"Do you know which way they went?"

"Umm...they went up that street there. There are a lot of abandoned warehouses down that way."

"Thank you very much. If anything happens please call us immediately." Jack and Sam turned around and headed towards the car.

Inside, Jack put his head down for a second and banged the steering wheel. While trying to reach the passenger side, Sam saw Jack and her curiosity increased.

"So, what now?" Sam asked as she sat in the car.

"We go find Alexis." Jack pulled out of the parking lot and went in the direction the cashier told him. The road was dark and trees were on both sides of the car. Sam began to get nervous. Jack looked at her and from the glow of the light emitting from the clock and controls, he could tell she was worried. "You all right?" His voice startled her.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm just nervous that's all." Sam nearly murdered those sentences.

Jack grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers. It was just like old times. He looked at her and smiled. "Better?" She nodded in response.

Up ahead, Jack was able to see the outline of several buildings. He slowed down the speed of the car and examined each building, looking for a van. On the side of an old, wooden building stood a van. Jack turned off the headlights and parked the car. He looked at Sam, "You ready?"

"Hmm-mmm." She replied.

TBC...


	5. Chapter 5

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, but I wish I did though... :)

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews and for still reading this story. I'm going to try and update with another chapter as soon as school stops getting in the way. :)

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Up ahead, Jack was able to see the outline of several buildings. He slowed down the speed of the car and examined each building, looking for a van. On the side of an old, wooden building stood a van. Jack turned off the headlights and parked the car. He looked at Sam, "You ready?"

"Hmm-mmm." She replied.

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They opened their doors, got out, and immediately placed a hand on their guns. They walked as quiet as they could with the gravel underneath their feet. They came up to a door. Jack quickly opened it and they both trained their guns on air. Nothing.

They continued inside the dark warehouse. Jack took out two flashlights from his back pockets and handed one to Sam. They turned them on and began walking again. The constant drop of water echoed in their ears. Every corner was handled cautiously. They came up to some steps and saw the faint glow of a light at the bottom. Jack went first and Sam followed. They walked slowly and quietly trying not let anyone know they were here.

With a gun in front of him Jack reached the bottom of the steps. He stood paralyzed. Sam came up behind him, brushing up against him in the process. When she noticed what he had been looking at, she froze. Underneath a bright, white light sat Alexis, the girl they had been searching for. Her body was slanted and blood was still seeping out.

Jack walked up to the little girl and felt her arm. She was warm. They had been too late. Blood covered her clothes. Her throat had been slashed. Tears began to well up in Jack's eyes. He put his head down and felt Sam's hand on his back. He turned around to see her cheeks stained with tears. Suddenly, they heard footsteps. They rushed to a corner where there was no light.

Then a tall, average white male stood in front of Alexis. He placed a bow on her head and took a picture. This was the man that they had suspected, Aaron Livingston. Jack began to clench his fists and jaw. Sam was standing behind Jack with her hand on his shoulder. She could feel his muscles tensing and she knew his anger was rising from his body language.

Suddenly, Jack ran and lunged himself onto the oblivious suspect. Jack landed on top and turned Aaron around. He grabbed his shirt collar. "You sick bastard. You sick bastard." He repeated. He stood up and pushed Aaron against the wall. "You sick bastard!" He repeated again and punched their suspect in the face. "I hope you burn in hell!" He repeatedly punched Aaron in the face. Blood was coming out of Aaron's nose and his fresh cut on his lip. Jack let go of him and threw him on the ground. Aaron landed like a sack of potatoes and Jack turned around, with blood on his knuckles and shirt, and began walking towards Alexis.

"Jack!" Sam yelled as Aaron got up and ran towards Jack. He punched Jack with such an adrenaline that the punches were harder than Aaron had expected he'd throw. After several punches to the face and stomach, Jack managed to kick Aaron in the groin and throw him, once again, to the floor. Aaron had given Jack a fresh cut on top of his eyebrows and a bloody nose. Aaron reached behind him and grabbed a gun.

"Whatcha gonna do now?" Aaron said tauntingly. Jack pulled out his gun and Sam came out of the shadows, gun trained on their suspect. Both of their guns were trained on Aaron. "Oooo. You gonna shoot me?"

"Put the gun down!" Sam yelled firmly. "Put it down!"

Jack pulled the trigger. The entire warehouse was filled with the noise of the gunshot. Aaron lay dead on the ground, with his eyes open and blood coming out of his wound. Jack looked at Aaron and walked out.

"Jack?" She yelled, but that didn't slow him down.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 6

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, as always.

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews. I'm trying to finish this story as fast as I can. It's almost done and there should be a few more short chapters. Once again, thank you everybody. Enough of my rambling...

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Jack pulled the trigger. The entire warehouse was filled with the noise of the gunshot. Aaron lay dead on the ground, with his eyes open and blood coming out of his wound. Jack looked at Aaron and walked out.

"Jack?" She yelled, but that didn't slow him down.

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When she caught up with him he was outside. She stood in the doorway, watching him.

"Dammit!" He yelled as he punched the wall. "Dammit!" He kicked the gravel. "Shit, shit, SHIT!" He placed his head on the arm that was resting against the building and began to cry.

"Jack!" Sam walked out of the building and walked up to Jack.

"Not now..." He responded.

"What the hell were you thinking?!"

"Can we not do this now?!"

"No! We have to do this now! What happened in there?! First, you throw yourself at him and start punching him for no reason! Then you shoot him! You know, OPR is gonna have a field day when they find that out!"

"Dammit Sam!"

"Jack! We have to talk about this!"

"You wanna talk?!" Anger was evident is his tone.

"Yes!"

"Fine let's talk!"

"Fine!"

"You wanna know what I was thinking?!"

"Yeah!"

"I wasn't thinking! I wasn't thinking at all!" He leaned against the car and started at the ground. He began to sniffle again and tears were falling from his eyes. "When I saw her," His tone was soft and shaky this time. "Something just came over me. I don't know Sam. I just...I just lashed out. I..." He let out a long breath. "I don't know."

"What do you plan to do about this whole mess, Jack?! You know, this doesn't exactly fix itself!"

"You think I don't know that! Hell, I'll be lucky if I still have my job!" He wiped some of the blood from his nose on his shirt.

"Forget it." Sam turned around and took several steps. She took out her cell phone and called the coroner.

"Sam!" She didn't respond. "Sam!" He called out again, but she ignored him.

She hanged up her cell phone and walked back towards Jack. "The coroner's going to be here in about fifteen minutes." There was no trace of sympathy in her tone. Jack simply nodded. "I hope you're proud of yourself." She said over her shoulder and she walked.

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

She stopped and turned around. "It means that you shot our suspect without a reason! It means that you reacted improperly! It means that you jeopardized your job! It means that you screwed up! You screwed up!"

"I know I screwed up! Now can we just drop it?!"

"Whatever you say, Agent Malone." There was a bitterness in her tone of voice. She walked up to the passenger side of the car and got in. Jack, stayed standing outside, thinking about the chaos that he had just added to his life.

The coroner had arrived fifteen minutes later. Sam had gotten out of the car and talked to the Medical Examiner, telling him where both bodies were located. She stayed outside and stood next to the car, leaning on it for support. Jack hadn't said a word since his "conversation" with Sam. He merely stood on the opposite side of the car, leaning against it and trying to avoid Sam's gaze all at once.

After a while, the coroner finally came out with both bodies in a bag. Sam looked away. She didn't want the guilt of being too late to show on her face. Jack had been staring at the body bags from the moment they had come out of the abandoned warehouse. His anger was still eminent, but he was more calm than before. He stared at the larger bag, the one that held Aaron Livingston. He began to clench his jaw as he replayed the scene of the warehouse in his mind. _How could I have been so stupid?_ He thought to himself. _Why did I let my temper get the best of me?_

TBC...


	7. Chapter 7

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything...

**A/N:** Thanks again for the reviews! I think I'm going to finish this story sooner than I expected. On with the story...

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After a while, the coroner finally came out with both bodies in a bag. Sam looked away. She didn't want the guilt of being too late to show on her face. Jack had been staring at the body bags from the moment they had come out of the abandoned warehouse. His anger was still eminent, but he was more calm than before. He stared at the larger bag, the one that held Aaron Livingston. He began to clench his jaw as he replayed the scene of the warehouse in his mind. _How could I have been so stupid?_ He thought to himself. _Why did I let my temper get the best of me?_

……………….

"Damn!" He mumbled to himself, obviously angry with himself. Sam took a quick look at him and turned her gaze onto the body bags being put in the truck. She saw how his stance had changed and so did his body language. "Dammit." He mumbled again, this time a bit more quiet.

The M.E. had finished putting the body bags into the truck. He walked over to Sam. "Umm...thank you." He said with his deep voice.

He stuck out his hand and Sam received it with a polite: "You're welcome." He gripped her hand firmly and gave her a smile. Out of the corner of her eye, Sam knew that Jack was observing the polite interaction between her and the ME. The handsome man let go of her hand and went over to Jack. She could sense the slightest hint of jealously from Jack by the way that he acted towards the ME. She turned and retreated inside the car.

The ME had driven off and Jack was still waiting outside, silent. Sam opened the door. "Are you planning on getting inside the car?" Annoyance was clearly present in her voice.

He looked at her and didn't say a word. He opened the door and started the car. "Do you want me to take you home?" He asked.

"You should really treat those cuts." She responded, clearly not answering the question.

"I'm fine. I'll just put a band-aid or whatever when I get back to my apartment."

"Apartment?" She looked confused.

He exhaled loudly and rubbed a tired hand over his mouth. "Maria and I..." He exhaled again. "I'm living in my own apartment."

"I thought you two were trying to 'work it out'."

"We were, but—"

"How long has it been?"

"It's going to be about a month."

"And it never occurred to you to tell me?"

"Sam, I'm sor—"

"Just forget it."

An awkward silence enveloped the car. "Do you want me to take you home?" He repeated the question once more.

"Sure." Her answer was short and sharp. She looked out into the night. They drove in silence the entire ride.

When Jack arrived in front of Sam's house, he could hardly look at her. He knew he had made her angry and that was the last thing he wanted to do, but there was no way that he could justify his actions. He put the car in park and stared at the steering wheel. She stayed in her same spot, not wanting to leave, and wanting to get the hell out of the car at the same time.

Moments like these would never happen during their affair. Even after their affair, they seemed to understand each other and knew what the other wanted or really felt. But tonight had been different. Jack wasn't acting like himself. In fact, Sam didn't even recognize this man sitting next to her. He seemed distant and filled with sorrow. _What's going on with him?_ She thought to herself. She mustered up the courage to grab the handle and open the door. She looked at Jack, but he had still been staring at the wheel.

She cleared her throat. "You can come in if you'd like." She offered.

"I need to go grab some stuff at the office and go to my apartment." He said as he looked at her, trying to avoid her eyes.

"Oh," Was all that she could manage. "Goodnight then."

"'Night." He replaced his gaze on the steering wheel.

She got out of the car and shut the door. As she was walking, she couldn't feel his gaze on her, like other times before. He was acting very different from the man that she knew. She opened the door to her apartment building and entered. As soon as she was inside, she heard the car speed off.

She quickly reached her apartment and opened the door. It was silent and empty. She simply went to her bedroom and went to bed.

TBC...


	8. Chapter 8

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything, etc.

**A/N:** Thanks for all of the reviews. I hope this chapter gives a hint of what is to come...

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She quickly reached her apartment and opened the door. It was silent and empty. She simply went to her bedroom and went to bed.

………

Meanwhile, Jack was en route back to his office in the FBI Building. He kept on replaying the events of the night in his mind. He knew Sam was right, if OPR ever found out, they'd have a field day. Because of the time of day, he was able to park in front of the building.

He opened his car door and stepped out. The air was cool and crisp, exactly what he needed to calm his thoughts. He crossed the street, slid his card through the device next to the door, and entered the building.

The building was silent, except for his footsteps. Every step he took was weighted from the failures in his life. He walked up to the elevator and went up to the twelfth floor.

He arrived at the door of his office and merely stood there. He turned around and instinctively looked at Sam's desk. Their affair came to his mind. All the times where he would sit on the edge of her desk and talk. Or times when he would walk up behind her and purposely brush against her. Or during the teams' brief meetings at the conference table, when stealing glances at Sam was just as important as finding the missing person. Those were the times where he felt truly happy. Being curled up next to her in her bed, not having a care in the world. Waking up next to her and having her scent fill his airways. Those moments were bliss.

He turned back around and entered his office. He knew the affair shouldn't have meant anything to him, but it did. It meant a lot. He sat at his chair and looked at all of the things that had been accumulated on his walls during his years in the FBI. Degrees, certificates, awards, pictures, things that were supposed to mean something to him, but didn't.

He simply looked away and looked at his hands. His ring. It was still there. The divorce had been final for at least a month, why did he still have it on? It meant nothing to him. He slipped it off and lay it on his desk, in front of him. _What happened to my life?_ He asked himself. He opened one of his desk drawers and took out a paper and pen. He picked up the pen, uncapped it, and began to write.

_Sam,_

_I'm sorry for everything I've caused you. I hope that in time you can forgive me. I'm writing you this letter because I can't deal with this hurt I have inside of me anymore. I can't deal with the mess that I've allowed my life to become. It's all too much for me. I know I've caused you a lot of pain and I can't forgive myself for that. I never meant to hurt you. I'm not doing this because of you, but me. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm lost. I'm broken. And since my life is ruined, I know that if I stay I'll just ruin the lives of the people around me. I love you and I'll always love you till the end of time._

_Love,_

_Jack _

TBC...


	9. Chapter 9

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer: **I don't own nothing.

**A/N:** Thanks again for the reviews. Just a few more chapters to go...

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...

_Sam,_

_I'm sorry for everything I've caused you. I hope that in time you can forgive me. I'm writing you this letter because I can't deal with this hurt I have inside of me anymore. I can't deal with the mess that I've allowed my life to become. It's all too much for me. I know I've caused you a lot of pain and I can't forgive myself for that. I never meant to hurt you. I'm not doing this because of you, but me. I don't know what to do anymore. I'm lost. I'm broken. And since my life is ruined, I know that if I stay I'll just ruin the lives of the people around me. I love you and I'll always love you till the end of time._

_Love,_

_Jack _

Tears surfaced in his eyes as he signed his name. He folded the letter and placed it inside and envelope along with his ring. He stood up and took one last look at his office. A tear rolled down his cheek as he made his way towards Sam's desk. He placed the letter in the middle of her desk, knowing that she wouldn't miss it. He took in the smell of her lingering scent one last time and left...for good.

Sam woke up the next morning to the sound of her alarm clock. She had hardly gotten any sleep the night before. She tossed and turned the entire night thinking about Jack. She walked over to the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee while she got dressed.

When she finished, she grabbed her cup of coffee, and headed out towards the subway. She had gotten used to the subway these past days, with her car in the parking lot of the Bureau. Besides, the buzz of people was good for her.

When she arrived at her stop, she got out and walked towards the FBI Building. As she reached the main entrance, she looked across the street and saw Jack's car. _He probably didn't sleep at all last night._ She thought as she approached the main door. She swiped her card and entered.

Up on the twelfth floor, it was an average day. The office was not extremely busy as other times. On her way to the bullpen, she instinctively looked into Jack's office. No one was there. She found it odd because his car had been there and he was always the first one in the office. She walked up to the bullpen and saw Danny.

"Hey Danny" She said as she closed the distance between her and her desk.

"Hey." Danny said as he looked up from his computer screen.

"Have you seen Jack?"

"No, why?"

"Because I just checked in his office and he's not there, but his car's outside."

"Hm...that's weird. Well, maybe he's in the break room or something."

"Maybe." She said as she sat at her desk.

"How'd it go last night?" Danny asked as he spun his chair around.

"We um...we found her, but we were too late." Her voice was shaky and she stared out into space.

"Where?"

"Some abandoned warehouse in the middle of no where."

"I'm sorry, Sam. I know how much you wanted to find her."

"I'm sorry too." She looked down at her desk and found an oddly-placed, white envelope. "Did you put this here?" She said as she lifted up the envelope and showed Danny, trying to change the subject.

"Nope."

She lifted the envelope again and realized that there was more than just paper in there. She tore the top open and looked inside. Jack's ring. _He never took this off._ She thought to herself, puzzled. She picked up the letter that was inside opened it. She picked up the ring in her other hand and held it as she read the letter. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She needed to go find him. She stood up, grabbed her car keys from her desk drawer, and left a confused-looking Danny behind.

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I still don't own anything.

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! This is my second-to-last chapter, so there's only one more left. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. On with the story...

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………..

She lifted the envelope again and realized that there was more than just paper in there. She tore the top open and looked inside. Jack's ring. _He never took this off._ She thought to herself, puzzled. She picked up the letter that was inside opened it. She picked up the ring in her other hand and held it as she read the letter. Tears began to well up in her eyes. She needed to go find him. She stood up, grabbed her car keys from her desk drawer, and left a confused-looking Danny behind.

……….

She hurriedly got into her car and drove off. "Think Samantha, Think!" She repeated to herself. She thought of all the long talks they used to have, while they were curled up in her bed. The talks that would end when the sun rose. "Think!" One night came to her mind...

_It was nearly morning and they both needed to go to work. They had been talking all night, and the conversation was still going on. _

"_You know I ran away too." Jack said as he pulled Sam closer to him._

"_Really?" She accepted the pull and moved closer._

"_Yeah."_

"_How come?"_

"_Well, Hannah had just been born and I freaked!" He took in the smell on her hair, her room, her apartment. They had been lying in her bed, curled up next to each other the entire night. "I mean, she was my first child and, I dunno, I just felt the pressure."_

"_Where'd you go?" She grabbed his hand that hand been hanging over her waist and interlaced their fingers._

"_I went to this place, up by the Hudson. It's beautiful. Nobody knows about it. You go there and all you hear is the sound of the waves. It's like you're not even in New York City. I just went there to get away from it all."_

"_Did it work?"_

"_Yeah, it did."_

"_What'd Maria say?"_

"_I never told her. I just told her I had gone to some bar." They laughed. _

"_Why didn't you tell her?"_

"_I dunno. It was kinda like that was my little secret. Somewhere that I was able to go to, where nobody knew about."_

"_I see."_

"_You know, I should take you up there one of these days. How about tomorrow after work?"_

"_That'd be nice."_

"_Great. You're gonna love it, I guarantee it."_

That was it! That's where he was. Just as he promised, Jack had taken her the next day to see it, and she still remembered the route. She went as fast as she could. Thank god that it wasn't far away.

TBC...


	11. Chapter 11

You're Never Alone

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own anything, even after all this time.

**A/N:** Thanks for all the reviews everyone! As I said, this is my last chapter. The wait is finally over! I hope you all enjoyed the story and I hope you enjoy the way I ended it. Thanks again! On with the story, for the last time...

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That was it! That's where he was. Just as he promised, Jack had taken her the next day to see it, and she still remembered the route. She went as fast as she could. Thank god that it wasn't far away.

After fifteen minutes, she arrived. She pulled up the car and there he was. He was sitting on the ground, looking at the river and throwing the occasional rock into the water. She turned off the engine and got out. He didn't turn around. He didn't even acknowledge that she was there.

As she walked towards him, he got up and turned around. "Sam, get out of here." He said in a calm voice. His hair stuck up in odd places. He wore the same clothes that he had on yesterday. His shirt was wrinkled and not tucked in and his tie was no longer there. Bags were under his eyes and his cheeks were stained with tears.

"I'm not leaving. I want to know what's wrong with you." She stopped.

He walked up to her, but not too close, distancing himself from the waves. "Go."

"I'm not leaving."

"Dammit Sam, leave!"

"Jack! Just tell me how to help you! Tell me what's wrong!" Tears began to flood her eyes and her vision became blurred.

"You wanna help me?!"

"Yes!"

"Well, then leave!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Then I'll leave!" He pulled out his gun from his holster and rested the barrel against his temple. He placed his index finger in front the trigger.

"Jack, don't do this!" She took a couple of cautious steps towards him.

"Why shouldn't I?! I have nothing to live for anymore! My life is a living hell! Hell!" He shouted.

"Please Jack, don't!"

"I can't see my girls anymore! I'm failing at my job, the only thing that was left for me! Sam, there's nothing else! My life is a mess! A fucking mess! And you can't help me with that! It was my own doing! So, why not just let me go?!" He began to weep. "Just let me get it over with!"

"Jack! There are people who care about you and you're not a failure!" She cautiously advanced, with arms raised, and stared at the gun.

"Not a failure?! I couldn't even keep a solid marriage! I had to ruin it! Now what do I have?! Nothing! I have nothing!"

"Jack please!" She pleaded with tears falling from her eyes.

"Just let me do this Sam! Go!" In one swift move, she took the gun out of Jack's hand and threw it at the ground as he was going to press the trigger. She opened her arms and grabbed him into a tight embrace. "Let me go, Sam! Let me do this! For the sake of everyone!"

"I'm not letting you go!" She placed a hand on the back of his neck. He sobbed into her shoulder. "I'm not letting you go." She said softer this time.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tighter. "Sam, please..." He pleaded through sobs.

"I'm not gonna ever let you go," She buried her face into his shoulder and began to shed tears. "I'll always be here.

"Sam..."

She lifted her head. "Don't you get it?! I don't want you to go Jack Malone."

"Just let me do this. Please..."

"I'm not. I love you too much to let you do this to yourself."

"If you loved me you'd let me do this." He replaced his head on her shoulder, his actions contradicting what he said. Secretly, he was glad she came along. He lifted his head from her shoulder and looked at her.

She cupped his cheek and wiped the tear that had freshly fallen. "I love you and I'm always going to be here for you."

He replaced his head and held her tighter, holding on for his life. "I love you too." He mumbled into her shoulder. "I love you too."

**The End!**


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